Electric switch.



No. 674,076. Patented may 14,. Ism. c. c cHEsNEY & H. w. SMITH.

v ELECTRIC SWITCH.

(Application led July 23, 1900.)

WITNESSES: g 7 INVENTORS N o. 674,076. Patented May I4, |901.

C. `C.CHESNEY &. H. W. SM|TH. ELEGTRIGSWIIGH.

. (Appxicariun med July 23, 19cm (No Model.) y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT Critics.

CUMMIN GS C. CHESNEY AND HERBERT W.` SMITH, OF PITTSFIELD, MASSA- CHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO STANLEY ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COM- PANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 674,076, dated May 14, 1901.

Application filed July 23. 1900. Serial No. 24,528. (No model.)

To all whom/it may concern.- j

Be it known that we, CUMMINGS C. CHES- NEY and HERBERT W. SMITH, citizens of the United States, residing atlPittsfleld, county of Berkshire, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and' useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to an electric switch, and is particularly defined in the claims.

In the preferred embodimentof our invention shown in the drawings, which illustrates our invention as applied to a switch forbreaking currents of high potential, Figure 1.

shows the switch closed,the dotted lines showing the position of the movable arm when the switch is opened. Fig. 2 shows the switch in a resetting position. Fig. 3 is a-detail of the arc-displacing device, and Fig. 4 is a detail of the fuse-clamp and other parts adjacent thereto.

It is very difficult to break electric currents of high potential-for instance, ten thousand volts or more-without the generation of an arc between the circuit-terminals,-

which will destroy orv seriously impair the same. By our present invention we provide a means by which currentsot very high voltage may be successfully broken. however, limit ourselves to adevice for break'- ing such high-potential currents, as we are aware that our invention may be used for other purposes.

In our preferred embodiment] is a bind-v ing-post connected with the electric circuit and is provided with spring-jaws 2. 3 is a second binding-post connected with saidelectric circuit and also provided with springjaws 4. f y

5 is an arm of non-conducting material pivoted at 6 to a stationary standard 7 and hav ing a knife `projection 8, adapted to enter the jaws 4, and a second knife projection 9,adapt We do not member of the catch is in this embodimenta lever 13, pivoted at 14 and having one orV more teeth 15 thereon to engage said lug 12.

16 is a rod ot non-conducting material movable up and down inside the arm 5 and carrying a pin 17, which passes through a slot 18 in lever lO.

19 is one of a pair of projections extending through slots 20 on opposite sides of arm 5. When the rod 16 is pulled down-for instance, by means of an implement hooked over projections 19-the lever 10 will be pulled down and disengaged from teeth 15 on lever 13, thereby releasing the arm 5, which may then drop down to the position shown in Fig. 2.

21 is a conductor carried in the otherwise non-conducting arm 22, which arm is pivoted at 23 to the arm 5, and the conductor 21 is electrically, connected with the knife-blade 8 and the lower block, of which it forms a part, by the metallic base of the non-conducting arm`22, hinged thereto.

24 is a metallic head electricallyconnected with conductor 21. The head 24 has attached to ita fuse 25, and these two together form one terminal of the switch. The other end of the fuse passes over 'and is clamped bet Ween. a curvedl metallic portion 26 on lever 10 and an abutment 27cm the metallic block i 28, carried by arm 5, which form the other terminal. For additional security the end ot' the fuse may be looped over a pin 27a on lever'lO. This terminal 26 27 is electrically position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, which will pull the fuse olf from pin 27a, and arm 22 willfallonto a rest 32, yieldingly supported in a dash-potl 33. As the arm 22is thrown lThe arm 32 will-Y down and the end of the fuse breaks contact with the terminal on arm 5 an arc will be formed between the fuse and said terminal. We have provided a device to control the location of the arc, said device being automatically movable when the electrical connection between the terminals is broken to displace and break the arc. `This device preferably includes a receptacle, in this embodiment a non-conducting tube containing a finely-divided non-conductor, preferably a non-fusible powder, such as air-slaked lime. We do not, howeverulimit ourselves to these details. In the embodiment shown we provide a non-conducting holder 34, in the form of a tube, for containing the powder and run the fuse through this tube and powder, as shown in Fig. 3. The tube rests against the metallic head 24 and the end 31 of the lever 10 and is connected .to the upper end of the arm 5 by a cord. When the fuse and arm 22 are released, the arm falls or is drawn down and the circuitv is broken and an arc forms between the fuse and jaws 26 27. e As the tube 34 falls and is drawn aside by the cord, as shown, the arc is displaced both by the movement of the tube and also because the fuse being attached to head 24 is drawn through the tube 34 as the arm 22 falls away across the line of motion of the fuse. Thevarc is in this way displaced, and as the air-gap between the terminals is increased it is safely broken. The tube lwill dropdown vto the po,- sition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The fuse will generally bev partially melted by the arc. In some cases an arc may form at each end of' the tube'34; but we 'havev found that by our invention currents of very high po- -tential-for instance, sixty thousand volts-,f may be safely broken without burning out any ef: the partsexeept the inse,y which may Y' be easily replaced. On account, of the' great danger from `such high potentials we prefer to locate the switch outv of ordinary reach,

prefsrablyv higherv up on the wall er si'vitch-` beard than eau lie reached yby theI hand vvTo resetthe device, a'hook on the end of a pole may engage 'pin 19 eu the red -16 and draw the same down, thus dropping the end of the le,-

i lo ai from iheieeih maresme arms 5 m22 will miei@ QD. the pivot 6 te rhepo.

'Sition shew-x1. in Fig. y2'gthearli1. 22: being sur.

l ported by lthejrest 35. yThe powderytubey 3.4

shown in `Eig. 1,A thus closing the circuit.

may then be putin the position shown in Eig. 2 and thefuse, inserited. They whole 'dev-iee eau then be swung lip. inte. thepesitien To prevent the movement of arm 5 while the circuit is closed, we have provided an automatic lock for said arm. In the embodiment shown-*in the drawings this consists'of a foot 36 on rod 1,6, which foot is engaged from below by aV projection 37, carried by arm 22, thus preventing the rod 16 from being drawn down as long as arm 22 is in its raised position. When the switch is raised from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 1, the circuit is closed through said switch and the same is locked in position, as rod 16 cannot be pulled-down until the circuit is broken, when the fall of arm. 22 moves lug 37 from beneath foot 36, thus releasing the lock.

We are aware that very many changes may be made in the construction herein disclosed Without departing from the Spirit of our in vention, partieelarly in the device fel1 disnlaeins the are when the eur-reet is breken,

and We therefore de nei desirete. liiriit` eurselves te any ef the details herein dis'elesed We claim-,f 1,- In a @realt-breaking device. two relatively movable terminals located in a line eensiderably eut ef the vertical, a fase eenmeeting said terminals and heldingthem 1elabirely stationary, reeeetaele, ef nen-eendeetieg' material surrelindieg and confining said. fuse and held in nesitierl thereby. and means. fer releasing eueend ef said fuse and retraetiiigfeue ef said terminals thereby Deimaterialleeated near said terminal and sue. Founding said eendiieler, and means fer nieviegsaid I'eee ptaele autemetieally eut. efalineymeet tel disrlaee the are laterally when said cendeeter is seperated frein saiil terminal..

le switch, in eembiuaiiee, a movable member engaging with circuit-centriste, and. a seeend viewable member .fer making and breaking the circuit through the terminals of said switch, and means controlled by vsaid second mevalile member fer releasing said first member.

Signed at. Pittsfield, Massachusetts., this 20th day of July, 190,0.

. CUMMINGS C. CHESNEY.. HERBERT W- SMITH.. Witnesses.:

WM. J. BAUGHMAN, M. L.. NICHOLS. 

